The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-06
Allan Quarternain
By II. Rider Haggard.
Author Of "She," liking Solo
Mons Mines" "Jcss," "The
Witch's Head Etc.
CHAPTER XIV.
BY MOTHER Nd.

a year has elapsed since our most dear
friend Allan Quatermain wrote the words ~
have spoken" at the end Of his record of oui
adventures. Nor should have ventured %
make any additions TO that record had II not
happened that by most strange accident n
chance has arisen of its being conveyed 10
England. The chance Ia but n faint one, it Ia
true, but as it is not probable that another
will arise in our lifetimes, Good and myself
think that we may as well avail ourselves OF
IL, such rs II Is. During the last six months
several frontier commissions have been at
work on the various boundaries Of Nendis,
with view of discovering whether there
exists any possible means of ingress or egress
from the country, with the result that u
channel of communication with the outer
world hitherto overlooked has been discOy.
cred. This channel, apparently the only ono
for have discovered that IL was by IL that
the native who ultimately reached Mr.. Mac
kenzies mission station, and whose arrival in
the coui try together with the fact of his ex-
pulsion. for he did arrive about three years
before ourselves, was for reasons Of their own
kept dead secret by the priests to whom he
was brought, is about TO be eflectually
closed But before this is done a messenger
manuscript, and also one or two letters from
Good to his friends, and from myself to my
brother George. whom it deeply grieves me
TO think I shall never see again, informing
them, AS our next heirs, that they are wei
come to our effects in England, if the court
of probate will allow them to take them, in
asmuch as we have made up our minds never
TO return 30 Europe. Indeed it would be i'm
possible for us to leave Zu- Vendis even if wo
wished TO do so.
The messenger who is TO go, and wish him
JOY OF his journey, is Alphonse. For long
while he has been wearied to death Of Iu
Vends and its inhabitants Oh, oui, c'est
beau he says with AN expressive shrug;
"mais je m'ennuie; ce nest pa chic" Poor
Alphonsel we shall be very sorry 10 part with
him; but sincerely trust, for his own sake
and also for the sake of this history, which is
think, worth giving to the world, that he
may arrive in safety If he does, and can
carry the treasure we have provided him
with in the shape of bars of solid gold he will
be, comparatively speaking "A rich man for
life, and well able TO marry his Annette, II
she is still in the land Of the living and will
ing to marry her Alphonse.
Anyhow, on the chance, ! may as well add
"A word or two to dear old Quartermain'S mar
rative.
He died at dawn on the day following that
on which he wrote the last words on the last
chapter. Nyleptha Good and myself were
present. and a most touching and yet in its
way beautiful scene IL was An hour before
the dnybreak it became apparent TO us
that he was sinking, and our distress was very
4 n Ia H..
idea-a fact that called forth the last gentle
flicker of humor from our dying friend, for
even at that hour he could be humorous
Goods emotion had, by loosening the muscles
naturally caused his eye glass TO fall from it,
accustomed place, and Quaterrnain, who al
ways observed everything, observed this also
AT last, he gasped, with an attempt at
smile, II have seen Good without his eye
glass."
After that he said no more till the day
broke, when he asked to be lifted up to watch
the rising of the sun for the last time
ain very few minutes" he said, after
gazing earnestly at it, II shall pass through
those golden gates"
Ten minutes aftorward he raised himself
and looked us ilxedly in the face
~ am going stranger journe" than any
we have taken together Think OF me some
times, he murmured Good bless YOU all.
shall wait for you together" and with a sigh
he fell back dead
And so passed away character that con
slider went as near perfection as any it has
ever been my lot TO encounter.
Tender constant, humorous, aud possessing
many OF the qualities that 70 to make a POET,
he was yet almost unrivaled as a man of
action and citizen of the world. never
knew any one SO competent to form an accu-
rate Judgment of men and their motives. ~
have studied human nature all my life,n he
would say, land | ought TO know something
about il ~ and he certainly did He had but
two faults--one was his excessive modesty,
and the other a slight tendency which he had
TO be jealous of anybody on whom he con
centrated his affections
Good read the burial service over him in
the presence of Nyleptha and myself, and
then his remains were, in Difference TO the
popular clamor, accorded great public
funeral, or rather cremation. i could nos
h lp thinking, however, as | marched in that
long and splendid procession up 10 the tenn
Pile how he would have hated the whole thing
could he have been there TO see it, for he had
q horror OF ostentation.
And so, few minutes before sunset, on the
third night after his death, they laid him on
the brazen flooring before the altar, and
waited for the last ray of the setting sun TO
fall upon his face Presently IL came, and
struck him like golden arrow, GROWING the
pale brows with glory, and then the trum-
pets blew. and the flooring revolved, and all
that remained Of our beloved friend fell into